Renewing an Israeli Driving Licence from Abroad
For most drivers, renewing an Israeli driving licence from abroad comes down to paying the licence fee online, and today that works directly from abroad: in our check on 23 October 2026, my.gov.il, the national login and the government payments site, which takes the licence fee, opened from Canada. What stays tied to Israel is the rest: medical tests from a certain age, delivery of the plastic licence to an Israeli address, the theory test after a long lapse and the international driving permit.
How renewal works
About a month before your licence expires, the Ministry of Transport mails a payment voucher for the licence fee. You don't have to wait for it: for most drivers, renewal comes down to paying that fee. You can pay:
- in the government personal area (my.gov.il), after logging in with the national digital identification;
- on the Ministry of Transport payment site or through supported payment apps;
- by phone or bank transfer, as listed on gov.il.
After payment you get a temporary licence by email. The official page is Driver's License Renewal on gov.il.
Medical tests and eye exams
For private licences (B, C1, motorcycles, tractor), gov.il says no medical tests are needed at renewal before age 75 (gov.il). Medical tests are required in the year you turn 75, again at 80, and every two years after that. Holders of professional and public licences (C, D, E and similar) have medical tests from age 60.
The medical forms must be signed by your family doctor and an ophthalmologist or optometrist, and sent by Israel Post to the Ministry. If you live abroad, check with the Ministry in advance whether forms signed by doctors outside Israel are accepted — gov.il doesn't say.
Where the licence is delivered
The permanent licence is mailed to the address registered with the Population Authority, usually an address in Israel. Delivery is handled by the Be'eri printing house: from the morning after you pay and within 2 business days, you can change the delivery on its website or at 077-9985095. Regular mail is free; registered mail costs NIS 15, a courier to your door NIS 41, and an express courier within 2 business days NIS 177. Handy for a visit: pickup at Ben Gurion Airport on the business day after payment, NIS 118. A new delivery address can be set only if your temporary licence sends you to be photographed; otherwise the licence goes to your registered address. gov.il lists no delivery abroad (gov.il).
If you are abroad and can't be photographed for the new licence, it can be renewed with your old photo. To do this, send a request letter together with the paid licence to the Ministry's Update and Control Department; after you return to Israel you'll need to be photographed at a photo station (Kol Zchut).
If your licence has expired
Driving with an expired licence isn't allowed. According to Kol Zchut (the Israeli rights information site), if you haven't renewed it for a year or more, you'll have to retake the theory test, and which tests apply depends on how long you have held the licence and its grade (Kol Zchut). gov.il adds that a licence not renewed for more than two years lapses and is renewed only at a licensing office, by appointment (gov.il). The test takes place in Israel, so check your situation with the Ministry before you plan a trip.
International driving permit
An international permit is issued only in person at authorised photo stations in Israel and can't be issued through a proxy. It requires a valid Israeli licence and is carried together with the plastic licence. So you can't get one from abroad — arrange it during a visit.
If you can't pay online
From public sources — Ministry of Transport driving licence renewal on gov.il, public enquiries to the Ministry of Transport, complaints to the Ministry of Transport Licensing Authority public enquiries division, all in Hebrew:
- Ministry of Transport call centre: *4515, for information, payments and appointments at licensing offices. *4515 is an Israeli number; for calls from abroad the ministry gives +972-3-9695678. The automated payment line works around the clock, and an agent answers Sunday to Thursday 07:00–20:00, Fridays and holiday eves 07:00–13:00 Israel time, in Hebrew and Arabic.
- Help with the personal area and digital forms: 1299 (an Israeli number), Sun–Thu 08:00–19:00.
- Written requests about a licence go through the digital form of the Licensing Division's public enquiries centre, after signing in with the national identification system. Getting a duplicate or a renewal issued through such a request costs ₪27 on top of the usual fee.
- Post for medical forms: מחלקת עדכון ובקרה, תא דואר 270, Holon 5810201, by Israel Post.
- Complaints (פניות הציבור): through the online form of the Licensing Authority's public enquiries division, if a request got no reply (no acknowledgement within 14 business days or no decision within 45) or you are unhappy with the answer.
The ministry doesn't publish an email address or a fax number for licence questions.
A bank transfer, as listed on gov.il, is another way to pay. If the payment page doesn't load, try another browser or switch off an ad blocker; if the payment is refused, check the card details and your bank's limits for foreign payments before anything else.
If you also keep a flat in Israel, paying arnona (municipal property tax) and other municipal bills is a different story. In the same check, CityPay and the sites of several municipalities, among them Beersheba, Rishon LeZion and Haifa, did not open from abroad, and Tel Aviv itself says part of its online services is restricted from abroad. For those payments it is calmer to set up an Israeli IP in advance than the day before a bill is due; see Israeli payments from abroad.
